Tag: tonsilitis

Being mindful of going with the flow of life’s ups and downs:

I spent most of the Christmas period feeling absolute rubbish and pretty miserable with tonsillitis and a heavy cold and cough. Not surprisingly I’ve been feeling rather cooped up and am desperate to get out for some much needed fresh air.

I love that I can now walk right alongside the water. A few weeks ago I was delighted to see that the brook had been cleaned up, the rubbish cleared out of the brook’s bed, and the grass along the bank cut right down. WooHooo!

After all the rain we’ve been having recently, I found today’s brook fast flowing and babbling at its beautifully sounding best. I find its melodic song incredibly soothing to my soul as it gently washes away my woes and lifts my heart and my spirits.

As I walked alongside the water, I had a sudden realisation that I always walk upstream, against the flow of the water. This made me think about how I often find myself fighting against what’s happening in my life: the CFS in particular, but it can apply to anything really, and often does!

One of my favourite metaphors compares life’s ups and downs to the ocean: sometimes it’s calm and peaceful, and other times rough and choppy. And fighting against can be exhausting and a bit pointless really. If you relax and go with the flow, all will be well. In fact, one of my favourite mantras I have pinned up in my room is: May I ride the waves of my life.

It’s so easy to forget this and I catch myself fighting against what’s happening in my life, fighting the waves, and trying to swim against them. When instead it really is so much easier to accept what’s happening and to go with the flow, to surrender and let the waves take me to wherever I’m meant to be. And trusting that all will be well.

On today’s soul stroll, as I reached the bridge where I usually leave the brook and continue on my walk, I crossed the brook and walked back along the other side, this time following the direction of the flow of water.

My spirits lifted and my heart did a little happy dance as I acknowledged that I have the power to choose to ride the waves of my life.

So with this in mind, my happy for today is being mindful of going with the flow of life’s ups and downs.